Story perspectives

D.C. Circuit Says President Lacks Power to Stop Border Asylum

4/25/2026

Summary

Story summary

A D.C. Circuit panel ruled the Immigration and Nationality Act does not let the president halt asylum applications at the U.S.–Mexico border.
Judges J. Michelle Childs and Cornelia Pillard said only Congress can amend the asylum statute.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she had not seen the ruling and called judges biased, while ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt called the decision vital for refugees and said administration will review it.

History

Historical Context

In September 1996 Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, with provisions taking effect on April 1 1997. The law expanded mandatory detention, created expedited removal, and spurred deportations to rise from roughly 50,000 to over 200,000 by the early 2000s. The D.C. Circuit’s recent ruling reaffirms congressional primacy over asylum policy, echoing that 1996 shift.

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Story summary

A D.C. Circuit panel ruled the Immigration and Nationality Act does not let the president halt asylum applications at the U.S.–Mexico border.
Judges J. Michelle Childs and Cornelia Pillard said only Congress can amend the asylum statute.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she had not seen the ruling and called judges biased, while ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt called the decision vital for refugees and said administration will review it.

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